14. Temperance

Everything in moderation.

Upright

Balance, the right action at the right time, harmonious self-control.

Reversed

Imbalance, excess, extremes, health problems.

Element: Fire

Despite the image of the angel pouring water between two cups, Temperance is considered to have fire energy. The deep-burning passion of inspiration and will that drives the suit of Wands lives within us all, and Temperance is about taming and using that for good.

Temperance speaks of the obvious— balance, moderation, harmonious self-control, everything you’d use to define the literal word on the card. More subtley, the concept of temperance means not simply being controlled but taking the right actions at the right time. It means that when a situation is volatile, you must not be. Drawing Temperance encourages us to, well, have temperance.

When reversed, we have a desperate need for temperance in our lives. The reversed card speaks to imbalance, excess, and extremes. It can also mean struggles with changes in our lives. We need to channel the angel on the card and have a level of harmony and balance that makes water run against gravity. Temperance reversed can also indicate problems with health.